Sydney is in the middle of a sonic boom. And it’s not because jets are speeding through our skies. Listening bars have been popping up across the city in recent years, and Sydneysiders can’t get enough of them. Fitted out with state-of-the-art sound systems to play extensive record collections, they’re attracting everyone from vinyl connoisseurs to those looking for some extra ambiance or a boogie with their dinner.
High-concept interiors, fusion menus, and buzzy atmospheres are common threads among the listening bars of Sydney. However, their main source of inspiration, the Japanese kissaten (or “kissa”), had none of the sort. Born in the 1920s and popularised post World War II when Japan’s love of Jazz was in full swing (no pun intended), kissas were more meditative spaces to quietly listen to jazz records over a cup of coffee.
At their peak in the 20th century, kissas were key in discovering new music for those who couldn’t invest in vinyl themselves. Some kissas are still keeping that essence alive, like the stalwart Lion Cafe in Shibuya. Customers have been silently soaking up Jazz there since 1926. Flash forward to now, listening bars are a more novel concept than the necessity they were born from.
“Traditional Japanese listening bars are very quiet places, it’s a respectful place where you go and quietly immerse yourself in music,” says Nick van Tiel, Head of Music and Nightlife at Merivale, who just opened the loud and proud JAM Record Bar. “We wanted JAM to be very busy, bustling, loud and a great party.”
Top global listening bars are supersizing the concept, like London’s Spiritland with a companion radio station, and the five-pronged Public Records in New York. Sydney’s spin on it is all about small spaces with upbeat tunes, chats, and quality food.
The post-pandemic proliferation of listening bars feels like a natural buck against AI-generated streaming playlists and soulless soundtracks that many venues fall victim to. “There’s something a little bit more tangible about holding a record sleeve, and that sort of romanticism about something of a bygone era.” Says Matt Young, co-owner of listening bar Ante in Newtown.
Inspired by his travels to Japan, Young wanted Ante to be a “reflection of places I’ve been to and that I’ve seen… As opposed to just simply putting on a playlist on Spotify and walking away. I register that we’re doing well by the amount of times that customers ask “What’s playing?” or “Can I see the cover?”
Here, we’ve rounded up the best Sydney listening bars that will put you on the right track for a great night out.
Ante
146 King St, Newtown
Image credit: Ante | Instagram
What started as collecting vinyl aas a teenager led to Matt Young co-founding one of Newtown’s hottest bars, Ante. He and chef Jemma Whiteman have created a dark space focused on top-notch sake and spinning vinyl inspired by their travels to Japan.
Young’s collection of over 2,500 records spans everything from jazz and soul to reggae and electronic music, spinning what Young and the crew behind the bar are feeling that night. Whiteman’s seasonal menu is a flawless blend of modern Australian and Japanese. Small plates like torched bonito with blood orange and ponzu and fried potato mochi sprinkled with everything bagel seasoning make great friends with their 65-bottle sake menu. Ante only takes walk-ins so strategise accordingly.
Busby’s
21 Oxford St, Paddington
Image credit: Busby's | Jonny Valiant
Sitting underneath boutique hotel Oxford House, Busby’s is a cafe by day and a moody natural wine bar spinning hip hop by night. Revellers in their sleek yet cosy black and burgundy space can expect a side of hip-hop with their food and drink.
The likes of Nas and MF Doom could be the soundtrack to a couple of minimal intervention wines, or signature cocktails aptly named after recording studios. The food here is just as considered as the music. A modern European menu with the odd Japanese touch has highlights like addictive potato pavés supporting herbaceous cream cheese and trout roe, and tagliolini pasta with spanner crab, dashi and bottagra.
JAM Record Bar
320C George St, Sydney CBD
Image credit: JAM | Supplied
Merivale’s cool new kid on the block JAM Record Bar has people spilling out of its rosy-pink walls any given night of the week. Justin Hemmes' passion project squeezed in the middle of the mega Ivy complex has been so popular since opening, they’re now open until 2am from Thursday to Saturday.
Nick van Tiel spent a year curating the bar’s 15,000-strong vinyl collection, filled with white labels and gems from all over the world. Fill up on their playful East Asian-inspired finger food menu, carried by their small but mighty hibachi grill and deep fryer. Their ebi fry sando with iceberg lettuce and yuzu kosho is crisp and fluffy in all the right places. Later in the night once you’ve had a few Japanese-influenced cocktails, join the dance floor that builds up every night. You might be getting down to Chic’s I Want Your Love, or remixes of Whitney Houston hits.
Rekodo
Level 1/35 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo
Image credit: Rekodo | Instagram
Sandwiched in the middle of the sleek Barangaroo House building is this modern Japanese restaurant and vinyl bar. Their modern East Asian with a heavy Japanese bent menu can suit swinging by for a cocktail and some dumplings and skewers, to special occasions with their omakase menu.
The several hundred records in their collection are full of crowd pleasers, and “there is a focus on hip hop, soul, funk, and Motown,” says manager Shane Mulligan. Keep your eyes peeled for listening events they put on to celebrate iconic albums and films like Abbey Road and Pulp Fiction.
Analog
2 Awaba Street, Mosman
Image credit: Analog | Centre House Media
This groovy spot in Mosman is a triple threat—it has an ex-Nobu chef (Jin Hwang) leading the kitchen, gorgeous views overlooking Balmoral Beach and a fusion French-Japanese menu with a funky vibe to match.
Analog is an all-day beachside record bar and bistro, serving up miso eggs benedict for breakfast, followed by black-beer-battered kingfish and chips at lunch, before the dinner menu switches to little lobster and salmon tacos, wagyu truffle croquettes and an Angus tenderloin steak with wasabi pepper sauce.
Book the coveted sofa spot, kick back, and listen to vinyl tunes all arvo. Plus, keep an eye out on their socials for fun events like BYO vinyl nights and trivia comps.
The Hive
93 Erskineville Rd, Erskineville
Sydney’s OG new-wave listening bar started back in 2009 surrounding the community of now-closed record store Revolve Records. Fifteen years later, the turntables haven’t stopped spinning soul, disco, hip-hop, and jazz. Expect to hear the likes of Thundercat during the week, and soul tracks The Jackson Sisters on the weekend.
Food and drink here has an Australian edge, with local wines and craft beers to buddy fancy snacks like kangaroo skewers and bone marrow on charred baguettes, and classic bar food like their famous cheeseburger and comforting vegan poutine. The Hive also birthed the Queen Bee collective, a community of female and non-binary vinyl collectors who take over the decks once a month.
Header image credit: JAM Record Bar | Supplied
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